


The Reset of the Year

by Pixxyofice



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Also Souji is a cat guys, Gen, Past Character Death, Youko is the fox!, arcana swap au, technically an oc but w/e
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-13
Updated: 2015-12-09
Packaged: 2018-05-01 09:45:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5201270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pixxyofice/pseuds/Pixxyofice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When things go oh-so-terribly wrong, what else is there to do but reset? However, this reset isn't like the others Souji's done. No, it's reshuffled the whole deck, shifted around the lives of Souji's friends. Along with that, Souji becomes a cat.</p><p>Clearly, our new heroes have changed drastically as their arcanas force them into new lives. How much was changed? Is anyone aware that things aren't supposed to be this way? Whatever the case, the shadow world has to prepare themselves for the new, shiny clean, Investigation Team.<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Situations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Souji is now a cat.

_Yosuke is breathing heavily, wrenches trembling in his hands, and a persona card hovering weakly above his head. That was a bad sign. Souji held out his palm, breathing in, out, in, out, in a steady, occasionally shaky, rhythm. A card flickers into being above his hand, but it's barely visible, just like Yosuke’s. Teddie is trembling, in his bear form, and staring at the door. Gurgles emerge from the other side, and suddenly, the cards above the magician and fool quickly erupt into flames, clear and bright, and they broke quickly._

 

_The door is broken down. Two personae interrupt the shadows entry, and Yosuke is jumping into the fight, Susan-o blurring by his side._

 

Souji wakes up with a sob, his vision blurring with his years and his chest feeling compressed. His arm is pressed against his eyes, and he only separates the arm from the eyes when he feels like he’s calming down significantly. His eyes still burn, so he tries to breathe. He feels like the air is suffocating, but Souji recognizes the velvet around him. It is then when the grey-haired teen realizes that Margaret and Igor have been staring at him throughout his crying fit, and have not interfered.

 

Souji realizes the very reason of his crying. He remembers Yosuke and his leap of battle rage, how the shadows took the chance to overwhelm his partner. Souji knew Yosuke, like the others, had died to the shadows.

 

_“Come on, Partner!” Yosuke pat Souji on the shoulder and smirked. “You can do this! I know you can!”_

 

Another sob shot through him before he could keep it in. His fists clenched, and his fingernails dug into his calloused palms. It is then when Igor speaks. “It seems you have encountered another obstacle in your way, another way your journey has come to a close. However, like last time, I will offer you choice.”

 

Souji nods, trying to stifle the sniffles. He understood what Igor had meant: the many times where a mistake in battle cost him his life, or that mistake with Namatame. Reset back a small way? Or on a greater scale?

 

“Would you like to reset back 7 days, a short while before the shadow world clamored into your own? Or would you like to start fresh, restart, with another hand?”

 

Souji considers his options. There was the little time route, where he could adjust his equipment slightly, perhaps do things slightly differently? There could also be the fight with adachi, which going back to get equipment for was the reason for this in the first place. Seven days ago, it was only one day before the shadows overwhelmed the normal humans and only left the one with personae left standing. The fact that he only had one day to change things made him think that was a bad idea.

 

The other one, he could prepare for a long term decision. He could become better friends with his teammates quicker. Minor changes could help change the outcome to be even better, perhaps his friends would be stronger, or he could have more team members. That kind of thing, possibly. He might choose this one. No, he will choose it.

 

“Are you sure about that?” Igor asks, his eyes trained on Souji. The grey-haired teen doesn't question how Igor knows that Souji has made his decision. “Sometimes there will be changes you will not account for.”

 

“I am sure.” He responds, nodding. This is his best chance. He has the time to see unexpected changes, and he would take advantage of them. Souji wouldn’t make another mistake like he did this time. He can feel his breath hitch as he remembers his old friends dying. He wouldn't any of this happen to any of his friends again.

 

Igor smirks, and lifts his hand from his chin. “Very well then. May your journey be fruitful.” With a snap, Souji’s eyes blur, his consciousness fades, and his heartbeat starts to slow.

**_|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||_ **

**_OUR FATES ARE RECAST, AND THE LINE IS SET._ **

**_OUR PATHS ARE CHANGED DRAMATICALLY_ **

**_BUT YET…_ **

**_OUR PATHS STILL CROSS IN THESE VARIOUS WAYS._ **

**_HOW ABOUT WE GLIMPSE INTO OUR LIVES_ **

**_BEFORE WE MEET EACH OTHER ONCE MORE?_ **

**_|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||_ **

Yukiko handles the fan in her hands. It’s heavy enough to suggest the presence of metal in its material, but looks as innocent as a normal, womanly fan. She closes the fan with a swipe of her fingers, and she slides it into her pocket, putting the yen onto the table. “Thank you,” she whispers, and the store clerk nods for their response. A phone rumbles in Yukiko’s pocket, and she slides it out. Flipping it open, she clicks the green button and held it up to her ear, walking outside the shop.

 

“Hello, Yukiko-san,” Her mother’s voice echoes on the other end, “I’m sorry, but your father and I are going to be away on official Amagi business for longer then we thought. You will be moving again."

 

Yukiko made a groan, staring at her pocket with her new fan inside. “I understand,” she spat, with no attempts at hiding her distaste, and Yukiko Amagi pretends not to hear the sigh that her mother exhibits.

 

“You will be moving into your aunt’s house in Inaba.” Murmurs from the other side of the line, sounding like english, get closer, and her mother sighs, “Oh, sorry! I have to go now. Have fun at school!” The phone hung up before Yukiko could correct her mother that it was after school. Not that it mattered. Yukiko sighed, and slipped her phone back into her pocket. She needed to start packing. The black-haired girl rushed home, wary of the shortcuts she took, but still swinging through them. She needed to pack quickly. Otherwise her mother and father...

Yukiko shook her head and slipped into her apartment building.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chie Satonaka shoves yet another box into the storage room, eyes clouding with her angry thoughts. Saki Konishi pulls some items out of the boxes, heading in and out of the room. In an hour, they would swap duties. Saki Konishi smiles at Chie, tapping her shoulder. “Hey. Are the villagers getting you down again?”

 

Chie nods, putting down another box. “They keep blaming me for ruining all their shops, despite the fact that I was just a manager’s daughter and have no choice in the matter! And I just moved here three months ago, and they’re already calling me some city trash! What's more, they keep blaming all the gang attacks on the Shirogane residence on me, despite the fact that I never heard of the Shirogane Residence until that first time! Sometimes...” Chie didn’t meant to ramble, but judging by Saki’s face... “Sorry, Saki-senpai,” Chie apologizes, but Saki shakes her head, smile actually becoming less tired.

 

“You’re alright.” Saki checks her watch, “Oh, it’s time for your break. Could you get Kamui-san out here?” Her eyes darken at that statement, but they clear up when Chie looks up at her with a blank expression, work forgotten.

 

Chie realizes that Saki was giving her the break time, and she shook her head rapidly, getting stray brunette hairs all over her face “What? No, it’s still my time to work, and…”

 

“My treat, Chie-san.” Saki Konishi pat Chie’s shoulder. “I can appreciate having a break. trust me. Go and get her.” Chie Satonaka stares at Saki Konishi, before nodding and turning on her heel to dash for where Kamui was taking her break. After Chie sped out of view, Saki Konishi's smile faded, and she stares at her hand. She tests it a few times, curling it in, and out. The fact that her hand wasn't charred was one thing, and the other... "where's Hana-chan?" She whispers, before seeing the approaching Kamui and preparing for a storm of language.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kanji meets with Yosuke on the roof of the school, worry spreading on the tall boy’s face. His black hair is combed today, with a scar etching into his hair. “Are you sure you’re ‘right, Yosuke-kun?”

 

The brown-haired boy smiles weakly, rubbing his hand against his head. “Kanji, you don’t need to worry about me. You should remember that this is usual.”

 

Kanji wants to point out that Yosuke never seemed to be as tired before, never had to make up as many notes before. But Kanji refrains, and sits near his best friend. “Do you want me to make ya something? Cat? Dog?”

 

Yosuke actually giggles, and he smiles at Kanji. “Can you make a Bird? Have you gotten to that step yet?” Yosuke looks into the clear air. "Hey, you probably have. You're pretty great with Oragami, you know. I wouldn't be surprised if you could make me!" The two share a laugh right as the bell's shrill tone echoes through the afternoon sky, and the boys start to race each other to the steps.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Naoto Shirogane’s hands tremble, her eyebrows creasing, and a bundle of hair is getting stuck in her comb. Was this really a smart decision? She sucks in a breath, whispering, “god damn mother with her god damn beauty standards,” and tries to brush a bit more. She gets her hair stuck in more of a tangle. Her eyes narrow, and she rips out the tangle from her hair, combined with some sort of primal scream. Pain is the first thing she feels, but Naoto looks in the mirror next, she spots that the big ol’ clump of hair is completely gone, making her hair look smoother. _Satisfaction_. Naoto quickly shook her head, trying to get her head onto other thoughts.

 

Good thing her mom wasn’t home to hear that scream. With her long, blue hair finally combed through, Naoto grabs a few hair bands and ties her hair up and behind her shoulders in multiple ponytails. She pulls a box out from under her bed, and grips onto her work in progress- a watch. With her other hand, she picks up a piece of paper with a list on it. Most items were checked off, except for one that made the watch change its shape into a knife. She was sure it was possible…

 

Naoto carefully took a look at the parts, before slowly placing the paper down and picking up a screwdriver. The blue-haired gal focused completely on this task, and ignored the yells of her mother calling her to come downstairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Teddie blinks his eyes open, and finds that his face is bruising, with a faint pumping between his eyes. Lifting himself up from the floor, Teddie realizes that he just used human hands to lift himself off the floor, and is confused until- Pa-pump. Teddie blinks in surprise, and places his hand on his heart, curiosity sparkling in his eyes. Pa-pump. Was this an actual heartbeat? His eyes widen, and he stands up quickly, turning to face the mirror.

 

He looks different. He still has pretty blond hair, but it's styled to curl upwards near his chin, and his eyes are a darker blue. He smiles, listening to his heart beat, before closing his eyes. Someone calls for him from the other side of the door, and he’s dressed in a slim outfit. Teddie taps on his hair, before letting his body take over for him. He wasn’t really used to walking with this form, however similar it may be to his previous one, and

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eyes open. Sense of consciousness. He slowly, steadily, gets up. A tail lashes, his paws lift, and he moves. Wandering in this somewhat peaceful place, judging by the lack of noise. Like Inaba, his mind inserts, and he stops in confusion. Inaba? What is… Inaba? The cat sucks in a breath, before continuing to pad along. There’s fog on the edge of his vision, but that’s usual here. His paw steps into a puddle of water, and he flinches back out of instinct. He stares into the reflection, staring at the purple and white cat head that greets him.

 

This is supposed to feel right. He's... supposed to be a cat, right? The more he stares at this purple and white cat head that's supposed to be him, the more he thinks his body is

 

 _Red soaks the ground. His hands tremble, and his sword clatters to the ground. The shadows seem bewildered by the substance leaking from Yosuke's torn body. Teddie’s bear paws squeak and_ Souji realizes what happened. He stares at his cat paws, before let out a weak laugh. Of course. “Yosuke would definitely get a kick out of this.” Souji places his paw back on the ground, before remembering where he was. “If he was still alive…”

 

Gurgles from the edge of his hearing. His instincts flare up, and the memories of Yosuke flash through his head again and he runs. He runs, tail lashing, turning around corners, jumping off some ledges, rolling down stairs, until he sees the back lot that signified his entrance, last time around, into the TV world. He doesn't realize he's panting until he looks over his shoulder and sees the shadows did not follow. Souji's eyes are drooping. His tail is dragging against the floor. Souji yawns, curls up tightly into a white ball with purple sploches, and dozed off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A stack of papers land, with a little poof sound, on Rise’s already filled desk. A couple coffee stains were on some of the papers, with several of which were covered in what seemed to be illegible scribbles. Rise Kujikawa waits for the other guy- her co-worker, she had to remember that- to leave the room, before pulling off her cap and letting her hair go free. The red curls bounce to her shoulders, and she locks the door to her work room. She walks over to her coffee machine and stares at the settings.

 

“Okay, Kujikawa. You can do this. You’ve been trained for this. This is your legacy. Your co-workers know you to be smart.” The teen lets her eyes drift to the stack of papers on the other side of her desk, and quickly pats her face. "Just focus on your detective work and not your silly fiction, and you might get things done. Yeah." The teen forces her hair back into her cap. "Okay, make some coffee..."

 

There's a knock on her door and she's jolted out of her talking, staring at the door. The person on the other side tests the handle, and Rise throws open the door. Her co-worker stands there, unamused. “Rise-san, your grandfather wants you.” He stared disapprovingly at Rise, though she didn't really care. More Important news was that her Grandfather was here! She turns quickly, grabbing the stack of papers that had almost illegible scrawls, and quickly rushes down the hallway to the front, quickly garbling instructions to her co-worker. She could hear his tsks, but she spots her grandfather's greying red head, and stops in front of him, all other noise fading away.

 

Her grandfather takes the cap off her head, and he’s talking with a happy tone. She hums a little bit of her favorite song before she realizes that her grandfather starts talking about something else, voice lowering in tone. “... And there’s another place we have to move in order to help with their police force…”

 

“I… I have to?” Two years was the longest time she had stayed in one place, and despite her co-workers attitudes, she liked her job here… “But… I was about to…”

 

Her grandfather places her blue hat back onto her head, the crimson locks contrasting with the dark blue hat. “You will start packing next week. Leave a good impression, Rise-chan.”

 

Rise nods, before pulling out her pieces of paper and handing the scrawls to her grandfather. He puts it away, smiles at Rise Kujikawa, and the two walk out of the building together.

 

Tsks echo through the hall.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Their new lives had begun. The deck had been shuffled, the arcana had been swapped, and Igor sits in his chair, staring at the stack of cards that would predict their next Fool’s Destiny. Margaret turned to observe her master, one hand kept on the compendium. “Are you sure this was the correct choice?” Igor doesn’t respond. Margaret sighs, and busies herself with the book in her hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the First Chapter of Reset of The Year! This is an Arcana Swap, and I see very few arcana swaps on this paticular site. I'm trying to change that.


	2. Yumi and the Little Youko

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "This is my daughter.” Yumi introduces, and the small girl smiles nervously, messing around with her pink dress. There’s a heart pattern sewed onto the front. “Come on, introduce yourself!”

A black-haired girl stares at the huge TV screen, observing the commercial for some Calorie Magik. She didn’t really care for beverages. The blond boy dancing around in the water with some other girl was slim enough, though the only thing that almost got her was the bear pun the blond had made.

 

Judging by the nearby faces, nobody likes this commercial anymore. The TV screens quickly switch to the news of the scandal, and her spirits fall. She looks away, and slid out the fan from her pocket, flipping it out. A name is written on the side: Yukiko Amagi. Brushing her long hair behind her shoulders with her free hand, she tried to ignore the drone of the news scandal that was unusual for the city.

 

Then again, Yukiko isn’t usually around this particular train station, or even know this city well.

 

The train approached, and Yukiko grabbed onto her bag of items she would need for short-term entertainment and studying material. After the wave of people had gone past, Yukiko slipped into the train and swiped a seat near the door. Placing her bag next to her to ensure nobody would get too close, she leaned back as others got on board, trying to let herself breath.

 

It takes a lot of time, but as the train departs from the station, Yukiko feels her grip on consciousness slip, and her mind starts to freak out, causing her to jump from her seat and bonk her head on a pole. Ow. Rubbing her head and trying to calm her heartbeat, she tried to convince herself that this was normal.

 

She wasn’t dead. Yukiko sucked in another breath, before letting her eyes gaze out the window. Still somewhat in the city, but that was expected. Yukiko Amagi closes her eyes again and attempts to sleep once more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first thing that assaults Yukiko’s brown eyes is velvet. Draped all over the walls, seeped into the fabric of the chairs seated in front of the round table, it's velvet. The only thing in the room that isn’t velvet is the humans sitting in two of the chairs seated near the table, and the table without its cloth.

 

Yukiko discards her thoughts about the other velvet items in this room to focus on the person with the elongated nose. How is that nose so long? She finds herself smiling at this and takes a seat. The man starts to speak, but Yukiko is focusing her attention on that nose. It seemed like it could be able to poke through paper, if she were able to pick him up and do so. She can’t help but snicker. The man’s eyes narrow, and that long nose is now accompanied with a glare. Yukiko wants to keep laughing, but she shuts her mouth.

 

The man nods, eyes returning to their normal, buggy shape, and speaks once more. “As I was attempting to say… welcome to the Velvet Room.” Yukiko slaps a hand over her mouth. The man gives her a glare once more, and Yukiko closes her eyes, shoving her laughter back into her brain to use for later events. “You are finished, I presume?” The man asks, and Yukiko notices a woman with golden eyes and blond hair point to the man, worry on her face. Yukiko gets the hint and nods. “Very well then. My name is Igor,” Yukiko’s breath hitches, but that's all, “and it is… a pleasure to be serving you here. Now, what is your name?”

 

“Yu...Yukiko Amagi.” She introduces herself, rubbing her palms on her black skirt. “Pleasure to meet you, Igor-san.” She bows her head, and tries to distract herself from the big nose once more.

 

Igor smiles, and puts his hands under his nose. “Very well then. It seems that you will have an intruiging destiny… surrounded by circumstance, yet guided by your own hand…” He messes around with a napkin in his suit pocket, “The Velvet Room is a place between dream, and reality… mind, and matter…”

 

Yukiko blinks, staring at Igor without a laughing bone in her body. That doesn’t make any sense. Regardless of her feelings, Igor continues, with the woman at his side sighing.

 

“This is a room that only those with a “contract” may enter.” Igor’s smile widens, “It seems that such a fate has been imposed upon you.” The woman by his side looks down at her book, dragging her hands across the cover. Igor sweeps his hand across the table, before tapping the deck of cards that is summoned, making them all spread out over the table. “Do you believe in fortune telling?”

 

Yukiko blinks, trying to register that the cards just appeared, and that Igor seems to be magic. If she didn’t believe in fortune telling before… She nods, trying to think of something to soothe her nerves. Her favorite show to watch. Jokes. _Her failures at cooking. Honestly, who makes an omelette taste like nothing?_ Igor smiles. “Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always… Different. In that way, it’s similar to life’s principles, isn’t it?”

 

Igor doesn’t wait for a response. He does a flipping motion with his hand, and the card to Yukiko’s right flips over with it. “...Interesting.” Igor mumbles, before speaking louder, “The Tower, in the Upright position. This represents the immediate future. It seems that a disaster is imminent.” He flips the other card over, the same way as he flipped over the tower, and stares at the other side before placing it down. “The Moon, in the upright position. Very interesting indeed.”

 

Yukiko fidgets in her chair. That expression on his face seems curious, and the lady keeps glancing at the black-haired teen in confusion. “What does… that mean?”

 

Igor nods. “You’re more quiet than last time, aren’t you?” He asks, and Yukiko stares at him. _Last time?_ “It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery has been imposed upon you.” He places his free hand on the table. “In the coming days, you will reforge a contract, and after which, you will return to this place.” His eyes lift to meet Yukiko’s, and she doesn’t know how she ever found them hilarious.

 

“This coming year is a turning point in your destiny, and has been for many years before… If this mystery goes unsolved, your future will be forever lost.” Yukiko feels a shiver run through her back, and she nods. She doesn’t feel like laughing at his nose anymore. Igor shakes his head, his smile returning. “Our duty here is to provide assistance to our guests, to ensure that it does not happen.”

 

Like that was supposed to put Yukiko at ease. Igor introduces Yukiko to Margaret, Igor’s assistant, but Yukiko can feel the words blurring in her head, and the room is starting to spin. “May we meet again.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yukiko blinks her eyes open, and finds herself looking out the window into a somewhat peaceful place. Was this Inaba? She leans forward, stretching her arms out, hearing a crack in her bones. Placing her arms back at her side, she takes out her phone and checks on the text from her aunt. After absorbing the contents, Yukiko’s mind switches its attention to the voice on the speaker.

 

“We will arrive at the Yasogami terminal in a few minutes.” Yukiko slips the phone into her pocket again, brushing a hand across her shoulders and letting her hair flow across her back. “Those who are going to Inaba City and the Yasoinaba station,” That was her station! Yukiko grabs her bag and slings it over her shoulder, and the announcer continues, “Please go to the other side of the platform.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A small girl brushes through her long, red, curly hair, russet hands trembling on the brush. This is the last tangle she has to brush through. Sucking in a deep breath, the dark-skinned girl pulls the brush through her hair, and with her other hand, she lets her curls run between her fingers. After confirming with herself that her hair was good enough, she reaches on top of her dresser and grabs a headband with fox-like ears placed on top, and slides it onto her head. She gives them a small pat, then walks out of the room. “Mom! I’m ready!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yukiko is looking out the window, watching the trees go by. It’s peaceful. There’s only the noise of the train as it passes through its track. It’s the first real peace Yukiko has felt in years, ever since she started moving around cities. Her eyes slide closed, and she starts to doze off when-  _ **There’s some noise from downstairs. Eyes crack open, and they swing their feet off her bed, rubbing at their eyes. What is going on? Most of the inn is asleep, so the person approached their door when the noise suddenly stopped. Then there’s a sick, sick laughter, and**_ a shiver runs through Yukiko’s spine, having her open her eyes up again. What the heck was that? Whatever that was, Yukiko now wants no part with it. She pulls out her fan, flipping it open and staring at the designs in order to distract herself.

 

The train pulls up at Yasoinaba. Yukiko folds her fan, picks up her luggage, and exits the train. She’s the only one who exits the station. Putting down her bag, Yukiko messes around with her black hair, at least to make it look somewhat presentable to her aunt. _Why didn’t I do this on the train?_

 

“Hey! What’re you sitting on the steps for?” A voice calls out, startling Yukiko out of her trance, and causing her to stand up quickly and look for the voice’s origin. “Over here, get your stuff!” Yukiko looks, and sees a woman with short, black hair, wearing an orange dress with a yellow sunflower pinned over her chest. That must be her aunt! Yukiko picks up her bag and approaches her aunt when she realizes there’s a small child with red, wavy hair behind the orange dress her aunt wears.

 

“Hello!” Her aunt greets, smile wide. “You certainly look a lot nicer in person! Welcome to Inaba, I’m Yumi Ozawa. I’ll be taking care of you.” Yumi rolls her neck around, seeming a little nervous. “Y… You know I’m your aunt on your mother’s side, right?”

 

Yukiko nods. “It’s nice to meet you, Ozawa-san.” Yukiko notes that Yumi opens her mouth to speak for a few seconds, then seems to reconsider saying whatever she was about to say and lightly pushes the little girl behind her forward a few inches. Yukiko notices that the girl is wearing a headband with fox ears on it.

 

“This is my daughter.” Yumi introduces, and the small girl smiles nervously, messing around with her pink dress. There’s a heart pattern sewed onto the front. “Come on, introduce yourself!”

 

The curly-haired girl looks up at Yukiko, before letting go of her pink dress and shakily waving. “H-Hello… I’m… Y-Youko...” With that, she looks at her feet and starts playing with her dress hem again. Yukiko kneels down in front of Youko, and rubs her head. The red-haired girl snaps her eyes up to meet Yukiko’s brown ones, before Youko’s smile becomes a happy one.

 

“I’m Yukiko Amagi, your cousin.” Yukiko introduces herself. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Youko-chan. Where did you get that headband?”

 

As Kistune opened her mouth to speak, Yumi Ozawa coughed. “I’m pretty sure you would like to go to your new house, right?” Yukiko stood fully, and Youko backs off from her spot, curling a strand of her red hair around her finger. “Good, let’s go to the car. We need to get you ready for school tomorrow!” With that, Yukiko’s aunt was off, with Youko following close behind.

 

School. Right. Yukiko sighs, and follows Yumi. Her arms brushes the side of someone else’s arm, and something flutters out of her bag. There’s a few seconds more of walking before someone speaks up, “Hey, Souj…” before stopping, with a small gasp. Yukiko turns around, and there’s a girl wearing a white shirt and a messily-worn black tie. Her eyes are wide, and she’s barely holding onto the paper she picked up. “...Uh.” She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, then opens them with a scornful expression. “Y-You dropped this.”

 

Yukiko smiles, walking over to the girl and taking the paper out of her hands. “Thank you.”

 

The other girl blinks, before looking at her feet. “Whatever. All I did was pick it up.” Yukiko pockets the paper, noting that Yumi’s Address was written on the paper, before turning around and waving the girl goodbye. As Yukiko leaves towards the car, she hears a whispered, “She isn’t wearing red… or black…”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks to those who left kudos! I realized that there isn't actually much Arcana Swap AU on this site in the first place... so I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna try to do this AAAAAAAAALL THE WAY THROUGH!
> 
> Also, note that Marie originally wasn't going to be in this story. I'll update the tags.


	3. What a Headache

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Youko, Yumi, and Yukiko go to a gas station. Yukiko gets her hand shaken and has the weirdest headache and this is probably filled with description but the doc for this chapter got long, so.... here it is. The third chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably filled too much with description and... I'm sorry?

Youko’s looking out the window, staring at the passing houses and trees. Her fox headband rests upon her head, the ears drooping slightly. Yukiko sits in the shotgun of the car, her fingers drumming a pattern into her armrest. The car is too quiet. Yukiko spends a few more minutes doing mindless tasks, before deciding to look back at Youko. “Hey, mom?” The girl with red curls shifts her attention to her short, black-haired mother, “... I need to go to the bathroom.” Youko taps at the window. Yumi nods, saying nothing more, and turns around the next corner.

 

Yukiko exits the car as soon as it pulls into the gas station, and she breathes. Yukiko. never really liked small, confining spaces, but that car… Yukiko forces her throat to swallow, and looks up towards the sky. It’s completely blue, with clouds rolling across it. The clouds are a bright white, contrasting to the nasty grey from her home city… Her head rings. She tries to focus on the car, and finds someone approaching her. Yukiko stands upright, letting her hand leave the car door. She pulls on a smile, and the person waves to her.

 

“I haven’t seen you around! You must be new here… welcome to Inaba!” The person spreads their arms out, red uniform and gray hair flowing down their back. “I know it's a small place, but the air is fresh here. Good for a new start…” The attendant digs into a pocket and pulls out a slip of red paper. The name of the gas station was scrawled at the top, with various bits of information under it. “We might be opening a job position here soon, so take this flyer and see what we have to offer!”

 

Yukiko stares at the attendant speak, before sighing and reaching out her hand to grab the red paper. Her fingers graze the attendant’s palm, and she puts the paper into her pocket. The attendant walks away to get back to refilling gas when Yukiko’s head screeches, causing the black-haired gal to lean against the car and rubbing her head.

 

She barely registered Youko coming back and asking the pale girl what was wrong. Yukiko lifted her face from the car, staring at the red-haired child, whose form seemed to be shaking slightly. Was it just Yukiko? “...You really don’t look so good…”

 

Yukiko offered a shaky smile. “M-My head hurts really badly…” She admits, pushing herself away from the car and rubbing her head. That pain seems to be coming from only her head now. “I-Is there any headache medicine I could use…?”

 

Youko thought. “Hmm… I think we’re out at home... “ The small girl’s face brightened. “Oh! I know a good place where we can resupply our medicine!” She giggled, her hands clasping together in front of her. “Well, I hope that they have something for you~”

 

Yumi’s voice being suddenly close surprises Yukiko, and another burst of pain shot through her head. “What’s this about medicine, Youko?” She questions, a smirk on her face. “More of your magical healing?”

 

Youko blushes, face almost matching the color of her hair, and she mumbles something about Yukiko’s headache. Yumi’s face darkens, and with a flick of a wrist, she had brought out a cigarette. Youko made a noise, and Yukiko swore it sounded like… a fox’s whine? The woman stares at Youko, surprise lining her face, before putting the cigarette away. “I thought you didn’t get carsick?” Yumi asks, leaning against the car. Yukiko narrowed her eyes. _Mom never really did know my hatred for small, enclosed spaces._ “Well… whatever the reason, maybe a walk would help? My…” Yumi’s eyes go dark, and she shakes her head, “I heard that helps, sometimes. Go on, and come back if you feel ready to go.”

 

Yukiko nods, the ringing in her head fading away just a bit, and decides to go for a walk. The first person she notices is leaning against a pole, reading a piece of paper. Her hair looks frizzled, and there’s something in her hand. She looks familiar to Yukiko, so the long-haired girl approaches her. “H-Hello… Have we met before?”

 

“Hm?!” The other girl pops her head up in surprise, and the moment her eyes meet Yukiko’s, there’s a flash of recognition in them. “Uh… w-we might’ve… geez, don’t ask me, I d-don’t memorize faces…”

 

Yukiko looks at the paper in the other girl’s hand. “What’s that?” She asks, and the girl freezes, before seeming to make a movement to put it away, only for it to flutter onto the ground. Yukiko bends down in order to pick it up, and her head starts to ache again, causing her to straighten herself quickly in order to massage it with her free hand. What was with this headache? It was like something was trying to fit into her head, but was just too big to fit…

 

“H-Hey, you alright, R-er, you okay?” The girl grabs her paper, but is shooting Yukiko a worried look. “You really seem a little sick…”

 

Yukiko drops her hand from her face. The pain is fading again. “I-I’ll be fine, I-I must not be used to this air…” She shakes her head and waved the other girl goodbye. “I hope you’re alright, as well…”

 

The girl returned to leaning against the post, staring at the paper in her hands. “...Same here, Yukiko.” She mutters, not loud enough for the other girl to hear.

 

Yukiko stops by a store, and she spots someone pounding on a… sword? Or something that was about to be a sword, anyhow. Yukiko notes down this location in her mind, feeling her fan against her leg. The headache starts to to surge, but then settles down quicker than before. Yukiko shakes her head and continues to walk along the street, trying to take in the air. For some reason, this place feels too familiar. Yukiko lays her hand on a pole and looks at the tofu store. There’s an old woman tending to the store with greying blond hair, tending to the shop. Yukiko lifts her hand from the pole and keeps walking, taking her sight away from the woman.

 

There’s two girls, both with brunette hair, arguing with each other. The younger one is wearing more black than the older one, who is wearing a normal school uniform and an apron with the word JUNES written on it. Yukiko only hears the two arguing over… cream puffs? Yukiko head rings again, and she presses her palm in her forehead. It continues to ring, sending out signs of both recognizing and not recognizing the duo in front of her. What is with her head? It stops shortly after, and Yukiko turns back to head to the car.

 

Yumi is standing by her car, seeming to check on something inside, when Yukiko returns. The short-haired woman looks up from checking on her car to find her niece standing there, and offers a wave. “Hey! You feeling better?”

 

Yukiko nods. “I feel better, but…” Yumi’s face falls, and Yukiko quickly looks at her shoes. “W-Well, sometimes it returns, so I’m fine now, but it might return later…” Yukiko explains, rubbing her palms together. “D-Do you have any headache medicine I could have on hand?” Yukiko looks back up to see Yumi looking over at Youko, who is smiling, almost jumping in her spot.

 

“No, but we can get more! I can reccomend to you the medicine that works from each store around here, and…” Youko glances at her mother, before stilling her body. “We’ll just get you some headache medicine then go home! Plus, we could see what kinds of…” Youko glances at Yumi again, before taking in a breath. “Let’s go, Amagi-san!”

~~~~~~~~

_**Of course you’re alone again.** _

_**You were always left alone at the house.** _

_**Only this time, the house is bigger.** _

_**Filled with the dangers that were in your home city** _

_**Only on a larger scale.** _

_**…** _

_**You’re worthless now.** _

_**Remember that.** _

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what could this mean? Who knows? Well... I'm going to work on the next part soon.

**Author's Note:**

> Heya, everyone! This is my FIRST fic on this site! Whooo! And it's an arcana swap. Here's to hoping this fic goes far!
> 
> The next chapter will get to the plot of the game, don't worry.


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